Bears notes: Chance for Pro Bowlers slim

Thursday

Dec 24, 2009 at 12:01 AMDec 24, 2009 at 11:51 AM

The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced next week and there is a strong chance the Bears won’t have a single representative for the first season since 1998, the last of five years in a row Chicago did not have a Pro Bowler.

Matt Trowbridge

The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced next week and there is a strong chance the Bears won’t have a single representative for the first season since 1998, the last of five years in a row Chicago did not have a Pro Bowler.

Linebacker Lance Briggs and kicker Robbie Gould are Chicago’s two strongest contenders. Briggs was the only Bear to go last year. Four were named in the 2007 season, eight in 2006 and six in 2005.

“You want to win more than you want to get those types of things, but it would be great to go back,” said Gould, who was picked in 2006.

Gould has made 18 of 21 field goals this year and is the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history at 85.9 percent (128 of 149).

“I’ve had a great season, a Pro Bowl season, but the thing is, it’s out of my control,” Gould said. “It’s up to the players and fans. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If it doesn’t happen, then I’ll get ready for the next two weeks and try to get a win. Then there’s next year.”

Injury list
The Bears held four injured starters out of practice Wednesday: safeties Al Afalava (knee) and Kevin Payne (ankle); linebacker Lance Briggs (back) and left tackle Chris Williams (ankle). All, however, are expected to play Monday against the Vikings.

Defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee), offensive tackle Orlando Pace (groin) and wide receiver Devin Hester (calf) were limited in practice. It was the first practice in more than a week for Hester, who sat out Sunday’s loss in Baltimore.

“This is Monday Night Football,” Hester said. “As an NFL player, you want to play in a type of game like this. I’m trying as hard as I can to get back on the field.”